Earnhardt encouraged and feeling no Chase pressure

Earnhardt has rebounded from an engine failure and 35th-place finish in the first week of the Chase with a pair of top-10 finishes. He says the last two weeks have been “really encouraging” and that he had probably the best two cars he’s had all season. He started on the pole and finished second last week at Dover.

During a charity appearance Thursday night at a barbecue joint about five miles from Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt said his team is “swinging for the fences every weekend” with seven races left.